Study, Work or Volunteer in Belarus

Belarus is a landlocked country near Russia in Eastern Europe. A former constituent of the USSR, it became an independent nation in 1991 when the Soviet Union disintegrated. Since 1994, it has been ruled with increasing severity by President Alexander Lukashenko and is considered to have a tyrannical regime by other countries such as the United States.

The country’s growing dependence on Russia and economic decline post independence as well as the deplorable lack of personal, political and press freedom contribute to a tense situation although Lukashenko has dismissed the possibility of revolution. Notably, The Committee to Protect Journalists has described Belarus as one of the 10 "worst places to be a journalist".

The capital of Belarus is Minsk, also its largest city and major industrial center as well as the headquarters of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).